He's "Somebody !"

You should get to know Russell Peters

We can thank our neighbors in the Great White North for upping their exports. Once upon a time, all they gave us was Loverboy and Corey Hart. Now, though, we've got hotties such as Evangeline Lilly (meow!) and funny guys, the hottest by far being comedian Russell Peters.

Peters is a veteran of the comedy circuit and playing festivals and clubs worldwide. The Anglo-Indian (half Brit, half Indian) from Toronto weaves his killer material mostly from life as an Indian. "India has a motherland," he notes, "England." His imagined dialogue between an Indian slave and a plantation owner: "No, no. My back hurts. Tell you what: You pick the cotton," offers the slave, "I'll make the T-shirts."

He also offers his take on intercultural breeding: "A French and a Greek: 'Freek.' An Indian and Jew? 'HinJew.'" And Peters's re-creation of himself haggling with a Chinese storeowner is definitely worth the price of admission. A little Dave Chappelle, a little Dave Attell, Peters also rants on life as a single dude. He has a fear of being with one woman, a disease Peters dubs "one-gina."

He has also been known to slice up his eager audience. The equal-opportunity disser, who's one of the most downloaded comics ever, brings his straight-up raucous act "Somebody !" to town today. With upcoming headlining gigs across the planet, and a sitcom in the works, this is the perfect time to jump on the dude's bandwagon. Be warned, though, he'll talk some serious shit about you when you do.
Fri., May 19, 8 p.m.